Educating the Designer for Sustainable Fashion
At Redress, we truly believe the future of fashion is circular. To help accelerate that change, we offer free online resources for fashion designers and professionals to support them on the path to creating fashion more sustainably, and give them an edge in the fast-changing fashion industry.
Our online self-study Redress Pathway Course offers designers a chance to fast-track their understanding of circular fashion design strategies through clear explanations, tips, and techniques presented by leading industry experts. Upon completing each course with a score of 80% or more, participants receive a completion certificate.
In response to the need for a deeper understanding towards better choices in sustainable materials, this year we have added a new course module on ‘Fibre Choices and Sustainability’, which explores the environmental impact of various fibres and how to navigate them.
“[‘Fibre Choices and Sustainability’] is a short course that will help you delve into fibres, yarns, and fabrics — where they come from, their impact, and how to make more informed design choices with them,” shares Federico Badini Confalonieri, a speaker in the course module, sustainable designer, and Redress Design Award 2022 winner. “Highly recommended for sustainable fashion designers or enthusiasts!”
The online course is complemented by our comprehensive learning platform, the Redress Academy — a free online repository of in-depth content, breaking down circular fashion design concepts and techniques with useful case studies, subject guides, and video tutorials.
“Designers must look at more sustainable, regenerative ways of making and using materials, and this course directly explores this pressing need with forward-thinking knowledge and opportunities,” says Edwin Keh, CEO of the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textile and Apparel (HKRITA), who also contributed to the course module.
The Redress Academy features a visual journey guiding visitors through the steps of the fashion value chain, from sourcing all the way to recycling garments, and offers filter and search functions for easy navigation.
All these resources point to the power that designers have in creating fashion more sustainably: with an estimated 80% of a garment’s environmental impact locked in at the design stage (1), educating designers is key to our mission at Redress to accelerate the change to a circular fashion industry so as to reduce clothing’s negative environmental impacts.
To that end, Redress is also publishing an industry report, supported by the VF Foundation, investigating the role, influence, barriers and opportunities for circularity at the design stage. With input from fashion designers and manufacturers across China and Southeast Asia, the study reveals insights and offers recommendations to support the fashion supply chain on the path to sustainability.
Why China and Southeast Asia? China is the largest producer and exporter of textiles for apparel and is a leading supplier for other SEA countries producing and exporting apparel. The majority of fashion brands, both established and SMEs, are working with China and SE Asian suppliers.
For updates on the study or to receive a copy of the report, please email education@redress.com.hk.
(1) WRAP (n.d.), WRAP and the circular economy.
